Hide and Go Seek
by jamesandlilyff
Summary: When Lily follows the Marauders on a Full Moon, she gets entangled in an adventure she never asked for. Better yet, she gets to spend it with her worst enemy who she may just have feelings for. Through the course of one night the group will discover bravery, hidden feelings, and what it means to risk your life for someone you love. After all, nothing is ever easy with the Marauders
1. Chapter 1

"Evans."

"Leave me alone."

"Evannnns."

"Potter, I'm studying."

"Lily!"

"I swear to Merlin, if you don't leave me alone this _instant_-"

Two things were on my mind as I ate my breakfast in the Great Hall.

The first was how I was definitely going to fail all of my exams this year. How I had managed getting all O's (with the exception of one E, but I don't like to talk about it) on my O.W.L's last year was a complete mystery to me, for now I could hardly concentrate on studying for more than an hour at a time without getting distracted.

The second was how I undoubtedly and irrevocably loathed James Potter.

"Please, it will only take a second!"

"Fine!" I snapped impatiently, slamming my N.E.W.T level Potions book on the table, causing my half-eaten French toast to tremble. Trying to avoid his brown-eyed gaze, I reached over the plate for my glass of pumpkin juice.

"Great, so I was trying to organize the Prefect schedule for Remus next week…"

He continued on but I stopped paying attention to what he was saying. James' voice had a resonance that was incredibly intriguing. It wasn't giant-worthy in pitch of course, but it certainly was masculine and velvety in tone. There was a husky texture to it at well, and I wondered if he had ever put someone to sleep just by talking. He probably had a very nice singing voice…

"Evans?"

"Hm?" My cheeks instantly grew hot as the paranoia he could read thoughts crept into my mind. I glanced over at him but instantly regretted it; James was wearing his infamously appealing crooked smile, one he saved for the occasions when he was thoroughly amused. Basically, whenever a successful prank was pulled or I embarrassed myself in front of him…which, adversely, was quite frequent.

"I asked if you could take three rounds next week."

"What? Why?" I barked grouchily. The lack of study time was still an overcast above my mind. Finals were two weeks away and I could not waste any more precious study time! Now how long does it take for the Ministry to verify a claim for a Time Turner again?

James chuckled and I cursed the annoying yet pleasant stirring in the pit of my stomach. "Frank Longbottom has Dragon Pox. It'd be a big help if you joined Benjy Fenwick."

"Well- wait, why are _you_ organizing the schedule?"

"Remus is feeling awfully under the weather as well, and I figured I'd help him out as it's his turn to schedule rounds," he answered swiftly, and I caught a glance of his tongue quickly swiping his bottom lip. That, along with his tendency to run a hand through his already chaotic hair, added up to two wildly distracting habits that made concentrating on even the simplest of tasks (say, studying for final exams) wildly difficult, even when he wasn't around. The sheer memory of the humble smile on his ruby, overly licked lips was enough to send a girl to the hospital wing for self-diagnosed insanity!

"If you're so eager to help, why don't you just take the extra rounds?" I implored stubbornly, determined to get my study time.

James shrugged playfully. "I would if I could, but I don't think that's allowed, seeing as I'm not a Prefect."

"Shocking," I muttered sarcastically, recalling all the pranks he and his friends (excluding Remus) had pulled during their Hogwarts careers as certified imbeciles.

"Isn't it?" James chortled lightheartedly and I couldn't help smiling. "But besides that, I'm tutoring all week, so I wouldn't have time even if I were permitted to."

"Tutoring who?" I questioned again, mentally adding this sudden proclamation to the _'How James Potter Has Changed From An Arrogant Toe Rag To A Decent Human Being'_ list I had been keeping since the start of the year

"A few second years, a couple of third years, not a big deal," James informed me, casually taking a piece of bacon from my plate. "But it's got me swamped, and they don't deserve to be punished for my ill-mannered planning."

I sighed; damn him for always knowing the right thing to say! "I agree, yet-"

"Please, Lily? Please do this for me?" He begged, and I made the mistake of looking into his eyes once more. They were pleading and downright adorable; for some reason I uttered the response he so desired without really thinking about it.

"Fine."

"Aw thanks, I owe you big time!"

"Yeah? How about you start by not stealing my bacon anymore?" I raised an eyebrow, irked at how I had fallen victim to James Potter's notorious charm. It didn't help that he took a bite out of said bacon whilst smiling charismatically.

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask a lot of questions?" James smirked and gave me a casual salute. "See you 'round, Evans." I watched as he walked away, grudgingly glancing at his arse and angrily acknowledging how nice it was.

Don't get me wrong; I really did hate James Potter. I hated how I had truly hated him for the past five years without fail, but then I return to school this year, and well, do you want to know the first thought that entered my mind as soon as I saw him?

I didn't roll my eyes in disgust or raise my upper lip in revulsion.

I didn't immediately start plotting ways to surreptitiously push him off the Astronomy Tower.

No, I was taken aback with the unavoidable truth of how handsome he had become.

I know, what the bloody Hell, Lily!

He was James Potter, my enemy since the first time I had spoken to him in our First Year! The boy who had bothered me to no end and asked me out every chance he got! I should _not_ have been noticing how cute he had gotten over the summer…how his hair, though still mangled, had reached an appropriate length that made him look more mature, how his newly developed jawbone was framed nicely by a small amount of stubble, or how he had grown another foot (if that were possible) and had actually acquired some muscle to go with it!

But, I did, and I failed to give him the glare I had been practicing all summer long for when I saw him on the Hogwarts Express at the start of the year. Instead, when he passed by me and gave a modest "Hey, Evans", I just stared at him like an idiot, internally fighting my unbalanced hormonal reaction.

That's the day my list ( the _'How James Potter Has Changed From An Arrogant Toe Rag To A Decent Human Being'_ one) began, and 'Becoming incredibly handsome' became number one. Of course, it didn't really have anything to do with his personality transformation but it was a start.

And the list didn't stop there.

James had thrown himself into his studies and Quidditch throughout the year. It might have been staged, but I witnessed Sirius trying to persuade James to play a prank on some Hufflepuffs, to which he flat out refused. Oh who am I kidding, it most definitely was staged; Sirius was practically screaming his disappointment all the way across the common room to make sure I heard the whole damn thing. Regardless, he was trying, and believe it or not it meant something to me. Ergo, reasons two through four were thus made inside my head.

2. Makes an effort in his education

3. Concentrates on extracurriculars

4. Ceasing the immature pranks

Yes, I still hate Potter, but not because I genuinely hate him anymore. I hate him because I don't hate him. And yes, I know that doesn't make sense, but nothing about James nor my feelings towards him did anymore to be frank.

But I still had to put on the attitude that I loathed him or else Alice would start harassing me about how she knew all along I had a soft spot for him, yadda yadda yadda. Let me clarify that I did not have a 'soft spot' for Potter, or any sexual innuendos that may arise from the statement. I certainly wasn't head over heels for the boy, but did I maybe kind of perhaps sort of have a miniscule fascination with him?

Unfortunately, yes. Ergo my frustration with how he had chosen this year, the year he did a complete 180, to stop asking me out. Irony, thou art a bitch.

"Hey Lil," Alice announced as she sat down next to me at the Gryffindor table. She looked frazzled, having slept past her alarm once again.

"Morning, Al. Congrats on being on time for breakfast!" I cheered, amused with the annoyed look on her face.

"Three more weeks and I can sleep in as long as I please," she replied cheekily, grabbing the remainder of my French toast. When I tried to protest, she shot me a look of intolerance. "It's not like you were going to finish it!"

"That doesn't give people the right to snatch food off my plate without even asking," I lectured and drained the rest of my pumpkin juice.

"Geez, it's one sandwich, Lil," Alice drawled defensively.

"Don't flatter yourself, you're not the only one who's been going all Oliver Twist on me," I laughed and packed my Potions book in my bag.

Alice grinned. "Was it James?"

I frowned at her smug smile and got up from the table. She chased after me, bringing the toast along. "You're blushing, it _was_ him!"

"I am not," I muttered, although I felt the familiar warmth on my face; it was one of the many curses that accompanied the red hair.

"What, did he steal your heart too?" Alice joked and I gently shoved her, trying to bite back the smile that began to form on my lips.

"Speaking of stolen hearts, how is Frank?" I asked, happy to change the subject. Besides, Alice was always one in favor of talking about her 7th Year boyfriend, no matter how excessive it got.

Alice sighed dreamily. "He's all right. I'm not allowed to visit him, but he wrote me saying all the bed rest he's getting has allowed him loads of time to study for N.E.W.T's."

Lucky bastard. Why couldn't I be bedridden?

"Madam Pomfrey said he shouldn't be contagious by Sunday night, so I'm going over then," she smiled, and I could tell she was already looking forward to it. "What about you, what will you be doing Sunday without me to entertain you?"

"Finishing the Transfiguration essay I know McGonagall is going to assign," I sighed ominously.

"Well perk up, it's a full moon Sunday!" Alice exclaimed as if I should somehow be excited about it.

"What does that matter?"

"You told me the Marauders go werewolf hunting on full moons, so at least you won't be distracted by James," Alice smirked.

So I didn't exactly know what they did, but there was a significant correlation between the Marauders disappearing once a month since last year when the moon just so happened to be full. Obviously they were dumb enough to believe the rumor Jacob MacMillion spread of werewolves living in the Forbidden Forest. The next morning they would be in class with a few cuts and bruises, but their injuries had decreased over time. I tried confronting Potter about it once, but I got more confusion than I did answers.

"Evans, you'd be doing yourself a favor to stop being so exceptionally observant," James had told me a few months back as he had hurriedly tried to force his hair over a nasty scratch on his forehead.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't encourage that self-proclaimed title. It's almost as bad as the nicknames."

"Hey, you have to admit they are kind of funny," Alice giggled. "My favorite is Wormtool."

"First of all, it's Wormtail. Second, they don't make any sense!"

"Bet you five sickles it's Wormtool." Alice stuck out her hand and I shook it confidently. "And they don't have to make sense, it's the Marauders."

"I suppose you're right," I admitted with as we sat down in Charms. The 'Marauders' never did make much sense and were always full of surprises.

I never knew how big their surprises could be however, until I had to learn the hard way.

**Welcome to my story! I will be updating once if not twice a week from here on out. Prepare for adventure, arguments, cheap thrills, and good old fashion fluff :D **

**Up next: Lily learns more about James' knack for Transformation, and later she follows the Marauders on the Full Moon, unbeknownst of what will inevitably follow. **

**I hope you like it so far; I have big plans for it. Please ****review****! (And let me know if you've read any of my other stories) :D **


	2. Chapter 2

I had never had much trouble with school in my life, regardless if it had muggles or wizards for students. But like all great minds throughout history, there was that one subject that never quite clicked.

Transfiguration, also known as my only 'E' from O.W.L testing.

"Take your seats, take your seats," McGonagall announced as she organized the papers on her desk. I was already sitting in my blasted seat next to Gertrude Knott, a reserved girl from Ravenclaw who never gave me more than frantic glances and closed-mouth grunts. It wasn't whom I was sitting next to that bothered me however; it was who sat behind me.

On cue, I felt the familiar, two-fingered tap on my shoulder. "What do you want, Potter?"

"What I want every day, of course," James replied, and I pictured his self-assured grin in my mind. I turned around and low and behold, there it was, ready to knock a girl off her broom from a mile away. "Just to say hi."

Ever since he had been assigned the seat behind me at the beginning of the final term, James would make an excuse to talk to me every day. After the first week he stopped trying to be clever and just settled with being downright upfront, making it all the more adorable (and a well earned number five for my list, now that I think about it). But if I let him know that I enjoyed our daily conversing, there was a great possibility he would just turn into a conceited arse again, I didn't want to risk it.

Merlin, do you know how difficult it is to pretend to still hate someone when you don't?!

So difficult in fact, that I didn't even bother. Instead, I grinned back. "Hi, James."

He gave me a cheerful look before turning towards Gertrude. "And hello to you too, Gertrude."

She glanced back nervously and gave a muffled "Hrrmp" back. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"I'd say hi to Black, but it seems he's a bit preoccupied at the moment," I told James, nodding my head to the boy who occupied the seat next to him. Sirius was turned around in his own seat, flirting with the bodacious, yet highly intelligent Marlene McKibbon.

"Ah yes, here we see the wild Sirius in his natural habitat, hitting on females left and right in order to preserve his infamous reputation as 'manwhore'," James narrated and I laughed as Sirius, without turning around, gave James a very rude gesture with his hand.

"Mr. Potter, if you are through entertaining Ms. Evans, we can begin class," McGonagall snapped at the front of the room. I whipped around and sat up straight in my seat, wondering if Gertrude was giggling menacingly to herself or merely coughing.

"Sorry Professor, it's difficult for most people to resist laughing at my profound humor," James called back and I rolled my eyes. Sirius chuckled beside him.

"Potter, I think it's just you they are laughing at," McGonagall glared at him over her glasses and a muffled laughter echoed around the room.

I sighed, knowing the only reason James got away with his outbursts in Transfiguration was because he was so damn good at it. James (and Sirius too, for that matter) had passed every test, nailed every lesson, and aced every essay since First Year without lifting a finger. What was worse was that it was the class I tried hardest in, yet received the least success.

"Today we will be working on the 'Oppugno' spell," McGonagall instructed as the chalkboard began to sketch a multitude of birds. "Unfortunately, you will have to be teaching yourselves today, as I had to supervise detention and had no time to grade your tests."

"It was fun, we should do it again some time, Minnie!" Sirius exclaimed cheerily and McGonagall's eyes turned to slits.

"Mr. Black, why don't you demonstrate this advanced spell for the class?" she suggested through gritted teeth. Sirius' eyebrows rose as he pointed to himself modestly.

"Me?" He asked and McGonagall nodded sharply. Sirius grinned and flipped his hair pretentiously as he stood up. "It would be an honor."

Seconds later, tiny swallows erupted from his wand, completely in his control. James clapped supportively while McGonagall moved her lips as if she was muttering obscenities.

Like I said, they were naturals, and it sucked.

"Thank you, Black. You may take your seat," McGonagall ordered harshly, stopping Sirius from giving bows and offering autographs to Marlene. "For the rest of you, the lesson is on page 437 in your textbooks. Begin."

And then she disappeared into her office, knowing no one dared act too rowdy, even the two insufferable prodigies behind me.

Thirty minutes later, I had read and re-read the page eight times and attempted the spell twenty-four to produce nothing more than a feather.

"Lily?"

"I don't want any help, Potter!"

"I was merely going to tell you your shoe was untied, but I'll take note," James replied simply and I sheepishly checked my laces. He was right. "But whydon'tyoutryaputtinglooseningyourwrist."

I glared at him, to which he replied with an adorably sheepish smile. A part of me wanted to ignore him and continue to learn the spell on my own, but instead I found myself relaxing my wrist and trying again.

"Oppugno." Instantly, a single bird appeared out of nowhere and landed delicately on my hand. I stared at it in amazement. Being a muggle born, magic never ceased to amaze me.

"Nicely done," James smiled and I pursed my lips.

"Thanks for the advice," I muttered, hating to admit James was better at any subject than me.

"Not a problem. It's not every day Lily Evans needs your help," he pointed out and I scoffed.

"I did not _need_ your help, it was simply useful!" I snapped. James put up his hands in surrender.

"Of course, of course," he nodded, trying to look meek, but his cheeky grin gave him away. I rolled my eyes playfully and put my elbows on his desk.

"How is it that you excel in Transfiguration without the slightest bit of effort?" I asked, surprised at my own blatant question. James reciprocated my pose so we were hardly a foot apart, only separated by a wooden desk.

"I resent that claim, Evans," he proclaimed. "I happen to have worked very hard in Transfiguration. Now I'm just ahead of everyone else."

"What is that supposed to mean? Did you get tutored during the summer or something?"

"No," James answered simply and I felt myself getting annoyed. "We taught ourselves. You'd be surprised what you can learn outside of the classroom."

"We?" I raised an eyebrow, subtlety cueing he explain things to me in English.

"We,' James ominously repeated. The bell rang for the end of class and everyone began to pack up their books. I turned away from James, frowning from confusion, and slide my own textbook into my book bag. I hated not knowing the answer to something, whether it was an essay question or a secret a friend was keeping. But James was hardly my friend…wasn't he?

McGonagall scurried out of her office. "You have an essay due for next Monday. You may discuss any controversial topic in Transfiguration today. I expect at least twelve inches!"

I groaned, cursing my ability to predict the future. Well, there goes my Sunday.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

I stared at the blank parchment in front of me, my jaw slacked and my eyes lazy. Unfortunately, I had been right when I guessed McGonagall was going to assign an essay. Even worse was the prompt she had given us.

In all modesty, I had always been pretty good at writing essays. You pick out the key words from the prompt, research them, and just write all the information you find. Easy enough. But McGonagall had asked to pick a controversial topic, which was basically asking us to pick our own death and explain why. There were too many options! How was I supposed to choose a specific subject?

So I sat, looking dumbly at my piece of parchment, waiting for inspiration to strike. The common room was proving to not hold much stimulation after all.

The familiar sound of people jogging down the stairs from the dormitory caught my attention, and looked up just in time to see the Marauders arrive, all looking anxious. James was checking the watch his parents had sent him for his 17th birthday, Sirius was looking over his shoulder out the window, Peter was biting his nails, and Remus looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"You have the cloak?" James asked Sirius hurriedly. Sirius lifted his fist to reveal the same multicolored cloak I always found them with clutched in it. Personally, I suspected it to be an invisibility cloak, but where in the world would they have gotten a thing like that?

"You okay, Moony?" Sirius asked, gently nudging Remus with a sly smile. Remus looked over at his mate and grinned genuinely; it looked out of place with his current appearance.

"Never better, Padfoot," Remus joked and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Aw, we're missing dinner again," Peter complained.

"Duty calls, Wormtail!" James clapped him on his back and I grinned triumphantly. Alice officially owed me five sickles.

"We've got everything, let's go!" Sirius cried excitedly, rubbing his hands together and grinning mischievously. It was the same look I had seen before a prank was going to be pulled. I narrowed my eyes and mentally scratched number four off my list. Being a Prefect, I could hardly just sit by and watch chaos ensure at the hands of incompetent ignoramuses.

"Go where?" I interjected and stood up. The boys froze and looked over at me with wild expressions, obviously thinking the common room had been empty when they came down. Raising my eyebrows, crossing my arms, and jutting out a hip, I put on a look that said 'Don't even think about it'. Or, at least, I tried.

"Um, we, er-" Potter stuttered, glancing me over with wide eyes. I smirked at his loss for words, but unfortunately, the others weren't as easily stopped.

"Evans, don't you have some course work to be doing? That parchment in front of you seems strangely blank." Sirius, also known as the most egotistical male on the planet, gave me his signature smolder.

As if _that_ would stop my interrogation.

Stepping away from the table, I walked over to them confidently. "I had only just sat down when your antics interrupted me."

Lies, I had been sitting at that table for a good thirty minutes.

"We don't need you getting involved in our private business, Evans," Sirius drawled pompously. "So why don't you go run back to your little essay-"

James coughed and glared at his best mate, sending him a mental message, which I couldn't decode. Sirius received it however and rolled his eyes, letting James take over. "What Padfoot means is-"

Merlin, again with the nicknames!

"You shouldn't be concerned."

"Then why can't you tell me where you are going?" I replied haughtily.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Sirius mocked, mimicking my tone.

"Oh shove off, Black-"

"Speaking of shoving off, we should be going," Remus interjected, his voice sounding weak and in pain. My annoyance at Sirius instantly dissolved as I noticed Remus' yellow-tinted skin and sunken in eyes. He looked horrible, as if he hadn't seen proper sunlight in weeks . Sirius gave me once last frown before throwing an arm around Remus' hunched shoulders.

"Right, come on then," James declared and led the charge for the door. I reached out and grabbed his arm, feeling tingles in my hand at the contact.

"James," I said simply, desperately hoping he would crack. James looked down at me with pained eyes, and I don't recall ever seeing such a beautiful brown in my life.

"Don't worry about it, Lily. I'll see you tomorrow."

He shrugged his arm free and left me on the other side of the portrait hole as the group departed. When I realized they weren't coming back, I stomped over to my table and crossed my arms in defeat.

"Whatever they're planning they'll soon get their dues for it," I told myself and tried to focus on my essay once more, but nothing came to mind. Cursing, I slammed my quill against the table, only to break the tip off the end. Groaning in frustration, I dragged my feet up to my dormitory to get a replacement.

Although my dormitory was empty, movement caught my eye as soon as I entered. It was coming from out the window. I moved closer and stared below to see…feet. Four pairs of trainers moving across the grounds, and I would have bet my cauldron that they belonged to the four boys I talked to not ten minutes ago!

I gasped as everything suddenly clicked in my mind. The cloak they had _was_ an invisibility cloak! They were all too tall to have it cover their entire bodies, so only their feet would be exposed.

I watched as the feet headed towards the Whomping Willow, a treacherous tree that had been planted the summer I came to school. Six years later it was full grown and huge, so no student ever bothered going near it. Except them, apparently.

Suddenly, one of the pair of trainers vanished and was replaced by some sort of small creature; I was too far away to see what it was. It scurried over towards the Whomping Willow and suddenly, the tree's branches and trunk froze as if petrified. The feet walked towards the Willow and disappeared into hole at the base of it's trunk.

I closed my mouth, unaware it had been hanging wide open. What the hell did I just see? Obviously, there was a secret tunnel under the tree, which no one would have possibly known about because they were too scared to get close enough. But how the hell did Potter and his friends know about it then? Where did it lead? And were they going through it to go werewolf hunting?

My heart pounded as adrenaline rushed through me. I need answers, and the only way I would ever be able to sit down and focus on that essay is if I got some. Certainly no one else would tell me, so I was just going to have to find out myself.

Throwing a sweatshirt over my long sleeved t-shirt, I stuck my wand through a loop in my jeans and tied my long red hair into a ponytail. Whatever Potter and his friends were up to, they wouldn't get away with it. I was going to get some answers, essay be damned.

Smirking confidently, I left the common room and headed for the courtyard. Ready or not Marauders, here I come.

**Thank you SO much for all of your kinds reviews! They make me so happy :D**

**Up next: Lily follows the Marauders down a surprisingly dangerous path, but it's nothing it comparison to what she encounters late on. **

**Please Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

I thanked Merlin for giving me a knack for Charms as the disillusionment charm's invisibility powers trickled down my skin. Although I was the only one in the grade who was able to do it (humbly, of course), it only managed to work for about twenty minutes, so I had to act fast. I raced through the corridors, wary of my muffled footsteps. It was quite invigorating to walk by people with them having no idea you're there.

In no time I was outside, feeling the warm, almost-summer breeze on my concealed face, a safe distance away from the Whomping Willow. I squinted at the tree, trying to remember how the Marauders had stopped the tree from violently attacking them not a half hour ago. Perhaps it wasn't dangerous at all and Dumbledore just said that to keep kids from exploring it and finding the passage! The Marauders would have stumbled upon the secret at one point, as they have a dreadful disregard for rules and incompetence in understanding danger. Confidently, I strode ahead.

A smug smile grew on my face as I thought of how the boys would react when they saw me. Sirius would be flabbergasted, Peter would stare blankly at me (much like how he looks in class), Remus' sickly face would show surprise, and James would be utterly impressed. I couldn't help the rush in my stomach at the thought of James' smiling in defeat and complimenting me on my indubitable ability to-

"OOF!" I gasped as a large tree branch came flying out of nowhere.

All right, so perhaps Dumbledore wasn't lying when he said the tree was a viciously hostile plant that would stop at nothing to protect itself.

I had hardly caught my breath before another branch took a swat at me. Immediately after, a branch snaked itself around my ankle and dragged me around mercilessly as other limbs taunted me, poking at my stomach sharply.

"Ugh, ow, stop it!" Merlin, this tree was more irrationally angry than Petunia! I grunted in pain but held back the scream that wanted to erupt from my throat, knowing I would bring attention to the current situation, which wouldn't make much sense, as I was still invisible.

I tried fighting back, blocking the branches that came attacking at every angle. "HA! What now, you sadistic demon?!" I yelled in celebration from managing to block one of the limbs with my arm. It took me a moment to realize I was celebrating the fact that I had successfully defended myself from _a tree_. And the tree was still winning.

It took me a few times, but I successfully extracted my wand from my jeans and waved it before the malevolent tree could get it's nasty twigs on it. "IMMOBULOUS!"

Immediately, the tree froze and I was left lying on the grass, panting and thanking the saints I was alive. Without wasting time, I got up, brushed myself off, and flicked off the tree just so it would know I was the one who won this war. "I didn't get an O in Herbology for nothing! Yeah, tell your plant friends, buddy."

With the tree petrified, I easily spotted the hole at its base and scrambled through it, trying to ignore the taste of blood in my mouth. I slid down a small dirt ramp before landing on my knees in the pitch black.

"Lumos," I murmured and the passage instantly filled with light. It was big, but I would have to crouch to walk through it. My lip began to feel numb, reminding me of the embarrassing truth; a damn tree gave me a fat lip. And I thought I knew everything about magic.

So my confrontation with the Marauders wouldn't be as glamorous as I thought it would be. Whatever, James- er, I mean, they would _all_ still be impressed that I managed to track them down, even bloodied and bruised! If they asked however, I would just tell them Filch's cat tried to stop me from leaving the castle and- oh hell, that was even more pathetic then the tree.

I followed the passage, which gradually got bigger and easier to walk through, paranoid other booby traps would catch me by surprise. After walking for ten or so minutes, it began to shrink once more, and I had to crouch to continue down it. Within no time, I had reached light that was not emitting from my own wand. Above me looked like the passages end; wooden planks with yellow light seeping through it illuminated my face, which I realized was now visible, as were my hands. I tried to tame my hair and wipe the blood from my face as best I could, knowing the Marauders were right above me, completely unaware I was about to bust them. I grinned in anticipation and lifted the passage door.

"Well, well, well, what do we have-" I stopped my condescending drawl, for there was not a sneaky Marauder in sight. I was in a house it seemed, admittedly a very old one. Lantern light coming from another room scarcely lit the drab, dusty furniture in my view of vision and the floors looked like the creaky kind. Oh my Merlin, I was in the Shrieking Shack!

I heard muffled voices coming from the room with the lanterns, so I silently lifted myself into the room and shut the passage door, wanting my entrance to still be a surprise. It had been rumored the Shrieking Shack was haunted by Hogsmede villagers who claimed to have heard retched howls coming from it for the past few years. Personally, I didn't believe the rumors; all the ghosts I knew were incredibly pretentious and would definitely think they're too good to haunt a lonely, old, dusty shack such as this.

But what the hell were James and the rest of them doing here? Was this their…headquarters or something? Good Merlin, is _this_ where they kept all the butterbeer that magically appeared at all the common room parties they threw?

"Oh, I've got you so good," I muttered sinisterly, grinning in anticipation as to what would happen next. Unfortunately, I had been right about the creaky floors, and the next step I took caused a squeak to echo throughout the house. The muffled voices stopped.

Well damn, there goes my surprise entrance.

"Who's there?" James' voice demanded from the other room. He sounded fearful.

"Damn it, we're getting lazy! I swear to Merlin, if it's Snivelleus again, I'm not letting you save him this time, Prongs," Sirius snapped impatiently. 'Again'?

Forgetting my surprise entrance, I stepped into the lit room, expecting to see stacked crates of butterbeers lining the walls and the boys clinking bottles in cheers. My mouth opened to tell them off, but what I saw didn't quite fit with what I was going to say.

Peter was sitting on an old, rumpled couch, biting his nails nervously, while James and Sirius stood with their wands out in front of me. Remus was nowhere to be seen. I was right; they sure were astounded, but the look on James' face was nothing close to awed.

"What the hell are you doing here, Lily?" he asked forcefully as he lowered his wand, the fear I had heard before magnified on his face. His brown eyes were wide, his jaw hard. "Merlin, is that blood on your face? Did you follow us?"

When he put it like that it made me sound so devious. "I-"

"Evans, why the hell couldn't you do what you were told?" Sirius barked, his face more angry than scared. I narrowed my eyes.

"Last time I checked, I don't take orders from you, Black," I snapped, livid at his misogynistic attitude.

"You need to get out of here, Lily," James interrupted as he strode towards me, his voice filled with concern. What was he so scared of, that I had discovered their hideout?

"I will not!" I told him angrily, moving my face away as he reached out to touch my wound. "Just admit it, you've been caught! The game's up!"

"What game?" Sirius exclaimed dubiously. "You have no idea how ignorant you are of the situation!"

"Well, I'm here, so you might as well tell me!"

A low moan of pain emitted from a dark corner in the room. Looking closely, it seemed as if it were Remus whimpering on the ground. I began to rush towards him, but James held me back. "Let me go! What did you do to him?"

"Moony?" Sirius yelled frantically, glancing out the window. The sun was seconds away from setting. "Evans, get out of here, NOW!"

"What did you do to him?" I screamed again, the sudden realization of how serious things could be setting into me and causing me to panic. "REMUS!"

James kept his arms tight around my waist, not letting me get free. "Lily, please, we didn't do anything, trust me. You need to go back to the castle-"

"Peter, go help him!" Sirius yelled and a nervous Peter tried to hold me back as well.

Remus moaned again and I tried to shove James and now Peter away. "Then why does he sound like he's dying? REMUS!"

"Dammit Lily, come on!" James shouted as the sun disappeared under the horizon. The room became significantly darker as the sunlight disapeared, and the only thing left to light the room were the lamps. At that moment, Remus lifted his head from the floor and looked at me helplessly.

"Lily…go," he hoarsely whispered. Suddenly, his face contorted in pain and he threw his head back, yelling in anguish.

"Remus!"

"James, get her out!"

"Let me go!"

"Lily, please!"

Although it was probably all much louder, the only sound I heard was muffled in my ears. My senses were only focused on Remus. He continued to cry out as his body began twitching and moving in unnatural ways. As soon as his limbs began to elongate, everything made sense.

The werewolf the Marauders hunted every full moon…was Remus.

His transformation was excruciating to watch. His cries never ended, and his body movements were irregular and unnatural. The only thing more horrifying was the look on Sirius' face…he truly looked just as pained to be watching go through this. I could only imagine the look on my face.

Meanwhile, James had pushed me behind him and had his wand pointed at Remus, reminding me Remus was becoming a werewolf, a dangerous werewolf, without a conscious and no recollection of who he truly was. Sirius glanced between James' wand and his own as if deciding what to do. Peter stood next to me, behind the two.

And then it was done. A werewolf, scarier than any of the pictures I had seen in my textbooks, stood panting in the corner. It was if Remus had never been there. The wolf turned slowly, a low growl rumbling from his sharp teeth. James shielded me and tightened the grip on his wand. The only sound that could be heard was the collective heavy breathing.

The werewolf's head moved around, as if unable to control itself; it looked…conflicted. This continued for several fearful seconds before it finally flung itself out the window and ran off into the night, howling all the way.

The silence was deafening. After what seemed like years, Sirius walked tentatively to the window and looked out, scanning the moonlit field. Afraid my legs would collapse from shaking so hard, I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands.

"He's gone," Sirius announced, his voice cracking a bit. "The Remus left in him knows not to hurt Evans…but the werewolf-"

"Enough, Sirius," James commanded, glancing over at me, though it looked like he said it for his own sake. Running a frustrated hand through his hair, he collapsed on a wooden chair. "She's been through enough already."

I lifted my head up and glared at them. "No, tell me," I demanded. "I think I deserve the whole truth, seeing as I know this much.

There was a pause. "The werewolf instincts will eventually overpower any morality left. It's got your scent, and it won't stop hunting until it finds you."

My heart stopped in my chest. I didn't know what I was shocked at; the fact that a mere hour ago my biggest problem was my Transfiguration essay or the fact that they were referring to Remus as 'it'.

"That 'it' you're talking about has a name, and he's your friend," I snapped.

"You don't understand, Lily," James sighed and I felt my face contort in rage.

"Oh, and you do?" I yelled. "What the hell are you even doing here? You're trying to protect me, but you're in as much danger as I am! He probably has your scent too, who the hell made you experts on werewolves?"

As I calmed down from my rant, I heard a low, sinister chuckle from over by the window. Sirius was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and eyes closed like a weathered veteran. He looked over at James with a smirk on his face. "Well we have two options left, then. Either we obliviate her or we tell her everything."

Before I could protest, James shrugged. "We owe her an explanation."

"The hell we do!" Sirius cried angrily. "She's the one who followed us here!"

"In case you need reminding, I happen to be the top Charms student of our Year. If you even attempt to obliviate me, I'll retaliate so hard you won't even remember your mothers name," I threatened, unwillingly to be the clueless damsel anymore.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sirius muttered.

"She's right, Sirius," James admitted and I grinned.

"Fine. Have it your way." Sirius looked at me and smirked. "Can you keep a secret, Evans?"

**Up Next: James, Sirius, and Peter disclose to Lily their secrets. But it won't be soon before the werewolf is on the hunt for Lily's scent…**

**Please review, they make me happy :D **


	4. Chapter 4

"Before we begin…Evans, what happened to you?" James chuckled slightly and sat down next to me on the couch. Before I could ask him what he meant, he cupped my chin gently and examined my bleeding lip. The mere fact that our faces were inches apart from each other and he was gazing at my lips made my heart thud loudly in my chest, regardless of the fact that my hair was most likely a mess and my face was gory and repulsive.

"I had a little run in with the Whomping Willow," I replied quietly, feeling my already rosy cheeks blush profusely.

James smiled and searched his pockets. "Padfoot, where is the dittany?"

"'Dunno, ask Peter," Sirius mumbled. He was staring out the dingy window, looking at the moonlight field with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Right here, James," Peter announced timidly and handed it to him before retreating back to his corner to anxiously chew on his fingernails .

"Bare with me, it'll sting a bit," James warned with a feeble look on his face. The only lamp in the room cast dark shadows over his face, making him look very…appealing, so to say. Annoyed at the thought, I reached out and grabbed the dittany from his hands.

"I know, I can do it," I claimed indignantly and began to dap the dittany on my lip. A sharp pain shot through me and I tried my hardest not to cry out in pain. "Carry on with the story, then."

James grinned crookedly for whatever reason and stood up, running a hand through his hair. "Where to start, where to start…"

"Never thought we'd be telling Evans while we're still at Hogwarts," Sirius admitted and sat down on a rocking chair that looked as if it could break at any moment.

The realization of what he said made me smile slightly. "You were planning on telling me?"

"'Course, it'd be hard to keep it from you once you and James-"

"How about we start from the beginning?" James interrupted, and I had a feeling he didn't want Sirius to complete his sentence.

Sirius snorted, probably thinking the same thing. "Brilliant."

"Well, our first night as Gryffindors way back in 1st year was an awkward one. Sirius and I had already befriended each other on the train, and Peter was more than happy to join in on our camaraderie, but Remus tried to distance himself away from us," James explained as he paced the couch in front of me. "We'd invite him to help plan some pranks or study, but he'd always make up some excuse."

"The only thing we knew for sure about him was that he had the immune system of a pansy," Sirius included blatantly. "Every month he'd go missing and we'd find him in the Infirmary refusing to have visitors."

"And because he wouldn't tell us what was going on, we decided to find out ourselves," James smiled deviously and continued. "By our 2nd year we had figured it out. I had suggested we leave it alone, because obviously being a werewolf isn't the lightest of subjects, but Sirius, being the bodacious fellow he is-"

"-Jumped Remus during Christmas break and forced him to confess," Peter giggled from his corner. I had almost forgotten he was there.

Sirius grinned at the memory. "I must say, Remus isn't as weak as he looks. We wrestled for a good ten minutes before I finally pinned him down."

James chuckled. "Remus told us how only Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey knew, and the reason that that blasted tree was ever planted was to conceal the trapdoor leading to the Shack. He would come here every full moon by himself, and because there was nothing to hunt, he would almost kill himself every month!"

"That's horrible," I concurred with a frown, feeling sick to my stomach at the thought.

"We swore on Merlin's beard we wouldn't tell anyone, and Remus began to trust us," James continued and sighed proudly. "And thus, the Marauders were born."

"We protected his secret and defended his disappearances, but it didn't feel like we were doing enough for the kid." Sirius smiled artfully. "It was in our 3rd year when I decided to pay a visit to the Restricted Section."

"Let me guess, invisibility cloak?" I presumed and their eyes widened. I grinned at their stupor. "Exceptionally observant, remember?"

A wide smile grew on James' face. He almost looked impressed. I felt a flutter in my stomach. "It's mine, family heirloom."

Sirius coughed. "So I found the book that would assist us in helping Remus, and we got to work. It took us two years thanks to Peter's inability to succeed under pressure, but we entered 5th Year with the gift of the century for our dear old Moony."

"And what would that be? The stupidity of thinking you could spend the night with a _werewolf _without being seriously injured?" I inferred sardonically and Sirius glared at me.

"We don't have to be telling you this, you know," he pointed out sharply.

I frowned in defeat. "I'm sorry, go on."

"In a way, you're correct." James shrugged. "But this is our second year 'spending the night' with Remus and we aren't dead yet."

I rolled my eyes. "So, what's the big secret?"

"Can we show her?" Peter chimed in. "It's more fun."

My heart start picking up it's pace in anticipation. Sirius laughed. "Excellent idea, Wormtail!"

"Merlin, we don't want to give her a heart attack!" James cried in protest.

"No, show me," I declared, wanting to convey to them how I wasn't some cowardly schoolgirl.

James sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Before I could reply, he started...changing. It happened too fast for me to make out the distinct transformation, but where James once stood now stood a stag, proud and strong.

I screamed in surprise, but instantly regretted it when I heard Sirius' bark-like laughter. Except it sounded much more bark-like than usual; looking over, the rocking chair that previously held a confident prat was now occupied by a panting, black dog. I screamed again, despite myself.

"You're Animagi!?" I exclaimed, unable to stop staring with wide eyes. It all started to make sense...the successful disappearances, the animal tendencies, the nicknames…

Merlin's beard, the nicknames!

"Prongs..." I muttered as I stared at the antlers on the Stag-James' head. "Padfoot...and Wormtail?"

A squeak came from the floor. A very fat rat was sitting on his hind legs, sniffing the air. How had I not deciphered the nicknames before? It seemed so obvious now!

"And Moony, the werewolf," I breathed, completely astounded from how they had kept this a secret for so long. "But Animagi...that's really complex magic! As in, _McGonagall_ is an animagus. No wonder you're so good at Transfiguration, McGonagall probably automatically gives you good grades knowing what your capable of."

The Stag shook it's head and I frowned. "But the Ministry must have told the school, so she probably does know...the Ministry does know, right?"

The Stag shifted on it's feet and the dog suddenly became very interested in scratching it's ear. I gasped in horror.

"YOU'RE UNREGISTERED?" I cried in disbelief. "Of all the idiotic things you've done over the years- that's bloody illegal! You could go to Azkaban!"

James must have changed back during my tangent without my notice, for his calm voice tried to interject me. "Lily, relax-"

"DOESN'T THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU, THAT COULD GO TO JAIL?"

"Only if we get caught!" a newly transformed Sirius cried as if it were obvious.

"WELL, AS YOU'RE ALL IMBECILES, IT'S A MIRACLE A DEMENTOR ISN'T KISSING YOU RIGHT THIS SECOND!" I shouted, fear fueling my rage. The thought of James, or even Sirius or Peter, alone in a darkened cell was a terrifying thought that could easily become reality with the slightest slip up.

"Lily, _please_ calm down. We've been careful, honest," James reassured me and placed both his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to sit back down. "I know it seems bad, but we wouldn't be able to be with Remus if we registered, which is the whole reason we went through the process in the first place."

"Aren't you scared you could go to jail?" I asked him, trying to find some sign of worry in his composed, comforting face.

He grinned infectiously. "Evans, am I mistaken or do you care about what happens to me?"

I felt my cheeks grow hot at his suggestion. I ripped my shoulders away from his grip. "No, wh-what, er...never-"

"Don't you worry Evans, the day I go to Azkaban is the day my brother renounces his prattish ways," Sirius proclaimed and leaned back in the rocking chair confidently.

"So that's it then, for the past two years you've been running around as unregistered Animagi with a werewolf?" Merlin, it sounded even crazier when you said it out loud, if that were possible.

The three boys nodded. "Seems about right," James agreed.

"Because we're with him, Remus doesn't hurt himself in werewolf form, and he's started to act more like Remus, too," Sirius elaborated. "We wrestle every now and then. It's quite fun."

"Granted, it hasn't all been rainbows and butterflies. We've had our mess ups, like tonight for example…" James trailed off.

"Or the Hogsmede villagers," Peter added.

"Or Snivellus last month." Sirius rolled his eyes.

I scoffed in disbelief. "Severus was here?"

"Followed us just like you, no wonder you are- er, were friends."

"_Were_," I emphasized for my own reassurance, shuddering at the memory of what happened at the lake last year.

"Personally, I thought the grease ball deserved to get chased by Remus, but James just _had_ to be the hero and save his arse," Sirius mocked.

I looked at James in surprise. "I thought you hated him?"

"Hate is a strong word. I certainly don't like him after what he said to you at the lake last year- er, because no one should ever say that to anybody, but that doesn't mean I could just let him get killed," James told me, his brown eyes not breaking contact with my green.

One of the main reasons I hated James for so many years was because of the way he treated Snape. Granted, preventing him from getting attacked may not make up for the past five years, but it did show that James had the integrity to change. I made such additions to my list.

_How James Potter Has Changed From An Arrogant Toe Rag To A Decent Human Being:_

5. Does not dwell in the past

And while I was at it,

6. Is able to perform complex magic, such as becoming an animagus

I left out the unregistered part, though.

Sirius clapped his hands together. "So Evans, there you go, our biggest secrets are now to be entrusted with-"

A loud howl echoed through the Shack, following by an eerie silence. I looked at James but he was already telepathically communicating with Sirius, while Peter tried to find something to chew on, as his nails were no longer there.

"Peter and I will go see if we can find him, distract him," Sirius announced suddenly and started emptying the pockets of his jacket. He pulled out a cloak, a yellowing piece of parchment, and a candy bar from Honeydukes. I raised my eyebrow quizzically and he shrugged. "Remus' favorite."

"Be careful, Padfoot. I don't think there is any Remus left in it's mind," James told him and took the contents of Sirius' pockets before putting them on the table in front of me. "I'll stay here with Evans."

Sirius nodded and looked over at Peter. "Coming, Pettigrew?"

Peter nodded reluctantly and was instantly replaced by the fat, ugly rat once more. Sirius saluted James and morphed into the panting black dog. It barked once and then jumped out the window he had been staring out of all night, the fat rat scurrying behind him through a hole in the wall underneath said window.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked, feeling very nervous being alone with James all of a sudden.

James ran a hand through his hair for what seemed like the hundredth time that night and stared out the window, watching two shadowy figures make their way across the field towards the forest. "We wait."

**Thank you so much for all your kind reviews! I won't be able to update for a week because I'm leaving for a mission trip, but I will update as soon as I can (and it'll be a good one, promise!)**

**Up next: Lily refuses to be the damsel in distress, but realizes she may be getting more than she bargained for when the hunt begins. **

**PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU'D BE SO KIND :D **


	5. Chapter 5

A strange feeling washed over me as I sat in the dim lighted room, staring at everything but not quite seeing anything. We had learned all about werewolves and animagi in our third year, but it had never seemed so _real_ until now. Unlike muggle school, where you learn how to solve math problems you will never have to use again, everything we had learned at Hogwarts so far was preparing us for the rest of our lives. I was no longer just a student at Hogwarts – I was a witch, and all the spells, potion, and charms I had perfected through the years weren't just schoolwork. They were my reality.

I looked over at James, who was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed as he stared out the window at the darkened field. He had to grow up so young after this reality was forced upon him so early. It was a shame…or was it an advantage?

Another strange sensation hit me, causing my spine to tingle and goosebumps to appear all over my body.

James and I were alone.

I suddenly felt very vulnerable as I sat on the lumpy couch, with nothing to do but stare at James. The comfortable silence we had fallen into now felt awkward, and I felt like I needed to break it. The question that had been in the back of my mind for a while now rose to my lips.

"James?"

"Mm?" He didn't turn away from the window.

"Why can't I just go back to the castle? Hogwarts is arguably the safest place in the world, besides Gringotts of course. I'd be fine there."

James pursed his lips. "I agree, the werewolf would not be able to get inside. But like I said, it has your scent, and it will not stop until it finds you."

"But it won't be able to-"

"It will try, Evans. It will howl and circle the school and wait. It will cause a commotion and wake up the entire school. What will the kids say when they see a werewolf stalking the school? A whole investigation will have the be launched, and when they find out it's Remus, he'll be expelled and exiled for sure," James explained, his unfocused eyes clearly seeing the scenario he portrayed in his head. "Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey are the only staff that know about Remus. They will not be able to protect him. So it's our job."

I felt incredibly selfish and ashamed. Remus was one of the most brilliant wizards I knew and his education meant everything to him. It would all be taken away if he was exposed…and I would never forgive myself if I were the one who exposed him.

Again, silence. My palms began to sweat and I looked for something else to talk about. In front of me were the contents Sirius had pulled from his pockets. I picked up the piece of parchment, wondering why Sirius Black of all people who be carrying such a thing around. It wasn't like he had any bright ideas that needed to be written down.

"Confused?" James smirked and strode casually over to the couch. His hands were in his pockets and he exuded the typical 'No worries' air, even when a vicious, uncontrollable werewolf was after us.

I smiled despite myself. "Sirius have an essay to finish?" I joked. James sat down beside me and took the paper from my hands.

"Before I reveal the secrets of the Map-"

"That's hardly a map," I pointed out, but he ignored me.

"-You must realize it was never made to spy on others, but merely know who was where at what time."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but before I could question him, his wand was out and pointed at the parchment. "_I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."_

I gasped as the parchment slowly filled with ink, although no one was writing on it. Traces began to form and in no time the parchment was completely filled. It was a map after all.

"Is this….Hogwarts?"

James smiled proudly. "Indeed it is."

I opened up the parchment to reveal the several levels and corridors of the school. Even weirder, there were tiny pairs of footprints that moved throughout the map, showing where people were at all times.

"Normally I would be completely appalled and threaten to report you to the Ministry for stalking," I began as I stared at the map in amazement. "But this, this is incredible."

"Sirius, Remus, and I have been working on it since 5th year. We needed a new project after we mastered becoming Animagi," James explained fondly. "We call it the Marauder's Map."

I smirked at the self-given title and continued to turn flaps and tried to find familiar footprints. All the girls in my dormitory were asleep…in fact, the only pair of active footprints I really saw were located in the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was wide-awake and pacing.

"He does that a lot," James added, noticing where I was staring. "Dumbledore rarely sleeps on Full Moons. It's like he expects for something to go wrong."

"So, you have a magical map that tells you where everyone in the castle is at all times, a chocolate bar-"

"Remus' favorite. It tends to perk him up a bit after the transformation back to human."

"-And a cloak…wait, is this…?"

James grinned and reached out for the cloak. He threw it over himself, and in no time, he was gone. My eyes grew wide.

"Merlin, you're completely invisible!" I cried in excitement and pulled it off him. He smiled stupidly and tried to smooth down his hair, but it didn't help. I wrapped the cloak around myself and it had the same effect. "How long have you had this?"

"My dad gave it to me when I left for school. Told me to stay out of trouble with it," James snickered. "As if."

"I bet many pranks have been pulled off because of this thing," I inferred and ran my fingers over the silky, water-like fabric.

"Don't forget the multitude of sleepless nights Filch has experienced," he joked and I laughed openly.

"If only the werewolf couldn't smell. It would never find me with this thing," I stated, but fell quiet as the harsh reality set in once more. I was still being hunted, and no cloak would be able to fix that.

James stared at me with concerned eyes, sensing my change in mood. "I know you're scared, Lily-"

I scoffed, although I was.

"-But just like we've protected Remus for the past two years, we can protect you, too."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Protect?"

"The werewolf will not touch you if we can help it," James reassured and reached out for my hand. I pulled it away.

"I don't need to be protected, Potter," I scoffed, crossing my arms defensively.

James gave me a look. "Sirius, Peter, and I have been doing this for the past two years. We know what we're doing."

I frowned and squinted my eyes in annoyance. "Yes, well, so do I."

"Don't be ridiculous, Evans. You didn't even know Remus was a werewolf until now!"

"But I aced the essay on werewolves in our Third Year!" I snapped, standing up from the couch.

"An essay is nothing compared to real life!" James retorted, clearly frustrated with the fact I wasn't going to play the part of some damsel in distress. "Look, I didn't mean to offend you or anything-"

"Offend? Please," I rolled my eyes, although I did feel a tad bit of inferiority from his words. "It's just that I can take care of myself, no thanks to you."

James looked as if he was going to reply but instead chose to close his eyes and lean back on the lumpy couch. I smirked at the fact I had gotten the last word and began to wander around the room. There was nothing more to see really, so I pulled my wand out of my pocket and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" I assumed James had opened his eyes, but when I turned back they were still close and he was rubbing his forehead. His hearing abilities must be impeccable.

"Don't get your antlers in a twist, I'm just going to explore the shack," I mocked. A part of me could have sworn I heard him chuckle as I left the room.

"_Lumos."_

The entirety of the house consisted of broken, worn furniture and creaky, unstable floors and staircases. There was a bedroom upstairs with a semi-stable bed, but I would still not recommend anyone to spend vacation here. After a while I got bored, and my thoughts wandered back to the previous conversation I was trying very hard to forget.

I, Lily Evans, was never one to play the girly-card. Sure I enjoyed makeup and sleepovers as much as the next female, but I had always been notably independent, too. I certainly did not need anyone to take care of me as I was more than capable to do so myself.

Eventually, I wandered back into the room to find James' examining the Marauder's Map. Without greeting him, I walked directly to the window and tried to find something interesting to look at. It didn't take long for me forget my boredom, however.

A loud, angry howl shook the house, much like the one that sounded before Sirius and Peter had left. However, this one seemed much closer, and much more hostile. Instantly, the lamplight vanished and the room was completely dark. I stood there, petrified, as I listened to James gather up the objects we had been looking at earlier in the dark.

"Mischief managed," he muttered for whatever reason, and soon I felt his hand clasp around mine. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

"Where will we go?" I asked frantically as he led me through the darkened house, too accustomed to it to need light as a guide. He didn't respond and pressed me against a wall.

"Stay here." And he was gone, leaving me all alone in the big, creepy shack.

All right, so perhaps his presence was a tad comforting. Standing there, alone, in the dark, with the chance a ferocious werewolf being right outside ready to attack, caused my breathing to become heavy and senses to be on high alert.

"Lily, the coast is clear. Follow my voice," whispered James from somewhere in the room.

"Where-"

"Just follow my voice," he repeated and I decided the sound was coming from my right. "Stay quiet, we're making a run for it, that's it."

I had reached him and wrapped my hand tightly around his, feeling safe once again, which bugged the independent part of me to no end. James opened a door next to us and shimmied through, me following diligently behind him.

"All right, get on my back," he instructed and let go of my head. I was about to question what he meant when James was no longer; the proud stag had taken his place.

"You have got to be joking," I muttered as the stag leaned its head forward, gesturing me to hoist myself up. I had never felt so awkward. Oh, the jokes Sirius could make about me riding James.

We took off into the moonlit night. The tall grasses of the field ticked my ankles but I stayed quiet as I gripped James- er, the Stag tightly around it's next, holding on for dear life. I kept a weathered eye out for anything moving in the grasses, but thankfully, I saw nothing.

In no time we had reached the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, when a dark figure jumped out of nowhere and stopped our movement. I screamed loudly and the Stag stood up on its hind legs in defense, causing me too fall off.

The figure's bark-like laughter caused me to look of from the ground to see a black dog quickly transform into a hysterical Sirius. I rolled my eyes, my heart still beating, and ignored Sirius' hand, instead hoisting myself up.

"Damn it, Sirius, don't do that!" A newly transformed James snapped and turned to me. "Are you all right?"

"Never better," I grumbled and dusted the dirt off my jeans.

"Sorry, sorry, but that was funny as hell," Sirius snickered and it took all of my willpower not to wipe the grin off his face. "It's good to see you out of the house, though."

"What happened? Where's Peter?" James demanded, sounding worried.

"The werewolf was by the lake for a while, still conflicted over moralities. We revealed ourselves and caused some Remus to come back, but not for long. I tried to fight it but it got away. I told Peter to hide out in the caves for us," Sirius explained and whipped his now untidy hair out of his face.

"Are the caves safe?" I asked, my eyes darting around our location for any sign of more moving shadows.

"Yes, but we can't go now. The werewolf is out in the field now, we have to get into the forest to hide," James' elaborated and started to lead the way into the thicket of trees.

"Come on, I know just the place we can go," Sirius proclaimed and stepped ahead of us. I sighed, feeling exhausted already, and trekked behind the two Marauders for our new hiding spot.

**Sorry for the late update, but here you go! Thanks to everyone so much for subscribing, reviewing, etc. You are all so appreciated. **

**Next: Lily, James, and Sirius get into a massive argument that distracts them from seeing creatures in the forest that have been hungry for a long time…after all, Hagrid is usually their only visitor. Fending them off will be a challenge, but escaping without injury is impossible. **

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	6. Chapter 6

We walked. And we walked. And we walked.

With every twig-snapping step I took, the menacing trees got thicker, and the eerie moon shone less and less through the leaves above. Eventually, we all had our wands out to light the path we were following – if we even _were _on a path.

"Er, Padfoot," James would mutter every now and then. "Where exactly are we?"

Without looking at him, Sirius would wave his hand, dismissing the question. "We're almost there."

I rolled my eyes behind them while crossing my arms, trying to conserve what little body heat I had left. The June air that warmed the grounds during the day clearly did not persist for all hours of the day. I clenched my jaw together, trying to keep my teeth from chattering.

"Padfoot-"

"Just give me a minute!" Sirius snapped, spinning around and examining the trees around us. "Er, does anyone happen to have a compass?"

"Are you kidding me, Black?" I cried in disbelief. "We're lost?"

"I am never lost, Evans, merely…off course," Sirius replied uncertainly and I groaned in frustration.

"Where were you taking us to begin with?" James inquired breathily, clearly trying to keep from shouting.

"Well, one time Remus and I built a firepit-"

"And what were you planning to do once we got there, roast some marshmallows and sing campfire songs?" I growled. "In case you forgot there's a bloody werewolf that _wants to kill me!"_

"Well with that attitude, I'm not surprised," Sirius huffed and my fists clenched tightly at my side.

"Sirius, please live up to your namesake and be serious for once," James muttered as he placed his wand in his hand. "_Point me!"_

The wand spun around and then pointed back from where we had come from. Sirius walked over and stared at it for a while, before sighing. "Yeah, we're lost."

I started pacing menacingly. "Of all the _stupid_ things you've done, Black-"

"Oi, pipe down Evans, we wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you!" Sirius glared accusingly.

"Only because you wouldn't tell me where you were going in the first place-"

"Oh yes, that would have been the easiest route to take. Hello Evans, yes, we are going to go turn into Animagi and hang out with our werewolf friend for the night!" Sirius mocked and I breathed sharply out of my nose.

"_I'm _not the one who got us lost in the Forbidden Forest!" I yelled, my anger rising. "It's Forbidden for a reason!"

Sirius smirked sarcastically. "You believe the rumors, then? That there are werewolves in the Forest?"

"Look, I have classes tomorrow, my feet hurt, I'm freezing-"

"Oh, complain, complain!" Sirius shouted and put his hands on his hips, as if scolding me. "You know, when life gives you lemons-"

"I COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LEMONS!" I bellowed, roughly one more sarcastic remark from strangling him with his own, overgrown hair.

"Quit being such a bloody princess!" Sirius yelled back at me, his grey eyes hard. "What, are you in that time of the month or something?"

Oh, _now _he'd done it. "Why yes Sirius, I am currently bleeding, _would you care to join me?"_

"Like you could hurt anything larger than a fly-"

"Yeah? Care to test that theory out-"

"Enough!" James snapped and stepped in the middle of us, his fierce glare making me cross my arms defensively. "We're never going to get out of here if you two don't stop bickering."

Sirius began to mutter to himself. "It's not my fault she's such a-"

"Sirius, please attempt to be a gentleman," James pleaded, but it sounded more like a command than a suggestion.

Sirius groaned. "But she's being so difficult! You need to get your head out of your arse Potter and see she isn't the angel you think she is!"

"Shut your mouth, Sirius-"

"Will you quit defending her for once in your life?" Sirius bellowed, his grey eyes blazing. "You need to get your head out of your arse long enough to see how arrogant, condescending, and stubborn she is!"

I frowned, admittedly a little hurt as James stepped towards Sirius. "You're one to talk about arrogance, Black."

Sirius scoffed. "And now you're turning on your best mate for her, too!"

"Quit acting like a Saint, I can't even count how many times you've prioritize some girl before us," James accused. At that moment something tickled my arm, but I brushed it off without even thinking.

Sirius pointed a finger at James. "But I have never, nor would I ever favor a girl over Moony's well being, and that's what makes us different."

This time it was my neck that tickled once more and I brushed it again, uncaring. Silence hung over the misty ground as I stared at my shoes, wishing nothing more than to be back at my dormitory. The Forest was beginning to give me the creeps, and I started seeing things run across my feet.

"We better figure out some way to get out of here, then," James mumbled finally, still glaring at Sirius. I was hardly listening however, as I looked closer at my feet at the moving shadows.

Wait a minute…

I screamed and shook my feet, running over to a tree stump to stand on.

"What's wrong?"

But before I could reply, I noticed how the spiders on the ground were not alone, but were accompanied by hundreds more the size of dinner plates hanging down from the trees. James and Sirius must have followed my astounded stare as they too yelped and tried to find safety.

There was a clicking nose in the air. "Should we take them to Aragog?" one of them said, thought it would have been impossible to guess which one.

"No, then we will have to share with the rest," replied another sinisterly. "And I haven't had a proper meal in quite a while…"

Getting beat up by a tree, being hunted by a werewolf, and now this? I pulled out my wand a began firing curses at every spider I saw. James and Sirius began to do the same, but it seemed as if the arachnids multiplied with every hex I sent.

"Any ideas, Prongs?" Sirius yelled, fighting off a swarm of them.

"I'm thinking!" James yelled back.

"Think faster, Potter, because the only way we're getting out of here alive is if we spontaneously grow wings and fly-"

"The brooms!" James and Sirius exclaimed at the same time.

"Do you see any broomsticks around here?" I snapped as a shot a curse so powerful it sent at least a dozen spiders backwards.

"_Accio broomsticks_," James cast as Sirius protected him from the swarm of spiders still upon us.

"Do you honestly think that will work? Summoning broomsticks all the way back at the castle?" I cried, starting to get desperate and tired, overwhelmed by the number of spiders that continued their attack despite my strong efforts.

"Of course not," Sirius replied, almost laughing. "That's why we stored some at the shack just in case!"

At that moment, two broomsticks came zooming out of nowhere, promptly stopping in front of James and Sirius, respectively. In my amazement, I completely forgot to continue defending myself, and white-hot pain suddenly erupted from my wand arm.

I cried out in anguish as James' hexed the spider that bit me and wrapped an arm around me to lift me unto the back of his broom. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the pain as James rose up out of the trees and far away from the spiders.

I didn't know how long we had been flying; all my senses were focused on the pain in my arm, but in no time we had stopped by a cave in the mountains nearby Hogsmede. I practically fell off the broom, gripping my aching arm as I leaned up against the cold rock wall of the cave.

"Well, that was a close one," Sirius admitted, the hint of a smile exposing his love for adventure.

"Remind me to never trust your sense of direction again," James laughed, wiping his sweaty brow and grinning from the adrenaline. "Next time you might lead us right into the midst of banshees."

"Actually how cool would that be, we could totally beat them-"

"I know, I mean after all we just escaped a multitude of vicious spiders – speaking of which, who the hell is Aragog? Their spider leader?"

"'Dunno, we should ask Hagrid, he probably knows."

"Knowing Hagrid, they are probably his pets or something!" James joked and he and Sirius burst out laughing, punching each other and acting as if they hadn't just gotten into an argument a half hour ago. As long as I live I will never understand boys.

"What do you think Evans, has Hagrid-," Sirius stopped when he noticed my bloody arm in the moonlight. "Merlin's beard…"

"What is it?" James asked, still slightly chuckling as he turned to wear Sirius was looking. His face instantly contorted to a mix of emotions I couldn't guess. "Lily-"

"I'm fine," I managed, trying to sit up straighter.

"Like hell you are!" Sirius cried as James kneeled beside me, gently taking my arm in his hands.

"Why didn't you tell us it bit you?" he demanded and began fumbling for his wand in his back pocket. "I just thought it had gotten a good grip on you- Merlin, there's so much blood-"

"It's not poisonous, right?" I asked shakily, trying to not convey how truly terrified I was and how much the bloody bite hurt.

"I don't think so…" James trailed off. "_Lumos."_

In direct light it looked even worse and I winced at the sight of it, shutting my eyes. "Sirius, some water please."

"_Aguamenti_."

A cold stream of water made the bite burn even more and I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips.

"Too much blood-"

"You have apply direct pressure, mate."

"Right," James said. "Lily, can you hear me?"

"I'm not dying, you prat," I snapped, hating feeling like the damsel in distress even in my present state.

"Okay, I'm going to take of your jacket for you then." James unzipped my jacket and helped me get my arm through one of the sleeves, before slowly rolling up my shirt to expose the bite, which was oozing ruby red blood.

"Hold on, Peter is supposed to be here," Sirius said suddenly, looking around the cave with his wand light. "Do you think…?"

"No, the wolf is after Lily, he wouldn't bother with Peter if Peter wasn't with her," James concluded.

"I meant do you think he…I dunno, ran off?" A silence hung heavy in the air.

"…You better go look for him, make sure he's all right," James insisted, and I got the hint this wasn't the first time Peter has pulled the disappearing act before.

"Right, good luck then," wished Sirius. "Hang in there, Evans."

"Thanks," I muttered, feeling tears fill my eyes from the wounds exposure to open air. James began to unbutton his flannel shirt before pulling off the white t-shirt underneath. He did that thing boys do where they tug at the back of the neck, pulling it over their heads. That, combined with his nicely toned chest gave me a pleasurable feeling in the pit of my stomach.

After his plaid shirt was re-buttoned (unfortunately), James began to tear the white t shirt to spreads, then tying them above my arm, making me wince once more.

"I'm sorry Lily, I've got to," James pleaded, sounding all most in much pain as I was. With the left over cloth he cleaned the wound with water, and soon enough the bleeding stopped.

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